The first hotel built in Syracuse, Otoe County, Nebraska, was the Western. It was opened in 1871, just north of the lumberyard. A new hotel, the National, was completed soon after, south of the railroad tracks. By 1879, the Gazetteer reported that the National was the principal hotel of Syracuse, "where the traveler will be well entertained." Because the National was lived in by so many until more permanent lodgings could be found, it was nicknamed "The Beehive."

By the 1880s, the National no longer appeared in the Gazetteer. It reemerged in the early 1920s however, under the name of the Lockwood Hotel. From then, on into the 1970s, the hotel was managed by Bessie (Mrs. Jim) Lockwood.

SCOPE AND CONTENT NOTE

This collection consists of one reel of microfilm containing four hotel registers from the Lockwood (National) Hotel dating from 1921-1966. The registers show the names of guests, the date of their visits and their hometowns. Several of the entries did not reproduce well on film because of the illegibility of the original writing.

Note: The original volumes are not part of the Nebraska State Historical Society's collections.